NBPA Top 100: Top Performers

The NBPA Top 100 camp came to a conclusion this past Saturday and the three day event provided numerous opportunities to watch some of the best prospects in action compete in a structured setting. While the camp names its own MVP and All-Star team, here are some other superlatives that players earned with their play:

MVP: Jaquan Newton

As stated yesterday Newton had a terrific camp. While he started slowly in the first two sessions his game started to pick up steam on Friday morning before coming to a conclusion in the championship game with a 31 point, 7 assist, and 4 rebound performance. Newton was one of the taller point guards in the camp, but still went by the shorter defenders off the dribble almost anytime he wanted. Newton finished at the rim, knocked in jump shots, and pushed the ball up the court any chance he got. With this stellar performance under his belt, Newton will look to carry over his strong play to the Peach Jam in early July.

Best Passers: Joel Berry, Tyler Ulis, Josh Perkins

Joel Berry (North Carolina Tar Heels) led the camp with 4.2 assists per game. While not the flashiest of passers, he knew when to take a shot and when to find a teammate. Berry’s squad used the pick and roll as their primary set offense and he either knocked down a 15 foot jump shot or hit Angel Delgado rolling to the basket. If the big man wasn’t open, Berry kicked out to Joe Burton or BJ Stith (Virginia Cavaliers) on the wing for open jumpers.

Tyler Ulis’ camp ended early Friday morning after a collision with Damontre Jefferson nicked up his shoulder, but in the three games he did play in there was no one better at delivering the ball to the perfect spot. If Ulis was passing to a Devin Robinson or Riley Norris on the wing, the ball would hit them in perfect rhythm for a jump shot. If he was looking down low for Reid Travis or Satchel Pierce, the ball would find them off a perfect bounce or lob. Ulis delivered the ball where it needed to go and made the game easy for his teammates.

Josh Perkins was the king of both the fancy pass in a halfcourt set and ¾ court pass on the fastbreak. On the break he often found a streaking teammate a la Kendall Marshall at UNC and in the half-court set he often zipped a no-look pass through an unsuspecting defense. Despite being the flashiest of the point guards at the camp, Perkins’ turnovers were limited as his assists climbed.

Best Scoring Guards: Isaiah Whitehead, Devin Booker

As a freshman, Isaiah Whitehead was one of the most talked about names in the class of 2014. Over the years, new names and faces began to surpass Whitehead in the rankings and he entered the spring as a top 40-50 type player. After a stellar spring on the AAU and camp circuit, Whitehead is expected to see his ranking rise back up quickly. Always a guard with great strength, Whitehead has been showing off his textbook three point shot and ball handling ability over the past three months. When he gets his feet set behind the three point line you can go ahead and add three to his scoring total as these shots routinely hit nothing but net. Whitehead also handled the ball a decent amount and never got out of control during the camp which is something he was known for in his younger days. After playing well on both the UA and Nike AAU circuits, Whitehead brought his best game to the NBPA camp and left as one of the top shooting guards in the country.

Devin Booker only scored in double figures twice during his four games but easily passed “the look” test. He has a quick release and nice rotation on his jump shots, but now as senior-to-be he is active in attacking the basket for lay-ups, floaters, and one-dribble jump shots. He has average quickness but often got by defenders with his ball-handling skills. Booker is also quite capable with his left hand as he once scored all five of his baskets on left-hand lay-ups, dunks, and a floater. Booker can score easily and cemented his rep as a top 20 player in the country.

Top Shooters: James Blackmon, BJ Stith, Phil Booth

James Blackmon Jr. (Kelly Kline/Under Armour)

Playing with Shelton Mitchell (Wake Forest Demon Deacons) and Josh Perkins, Blackmon (Indiana Hoosiers) had no issue running the court and spotting up for three’s as he knew his point guards would find him. Blackmon shot the deep ball well in almost every game he played in and when he wasn’t knocking down three’s, he was using a solid pump fake to create space for a pull-up or drive to the basket.

Stith felt at home in his future college surroundings and started the camp off with several three’s on Thursday morning and poured in 23 points on Friday morning. Standing at 6’5”, Stith has good size for a shooting guard and had no problem letting it rip in John Paul Jones arena. While smaller than Stith, Phil Booth’s shot was just as pure averaging close to 10 points a game. On Friday night, Stith had his finest game of the camp hitting three’s and jump shots from all over the court in both halves for 17 points. He hit high arching shots off the dribble on both the left and right wings and didn’t force the action at all. Both players made their outside shots at a high clip.

Most Efficient: Justin Jackson

Surprise, surprise, small forward Justin Jackson (North Carolina) was the most efficient player in camp. After a stellar AAU season, Jackson continued his strong play from the beginning of camp. He scored in double figures all seven games and did not need a lot of shots to do so as he usually shot well over 50% from the field. As usual, Jackson hit numerous mid-range floaters and also added in some one-dribble jump shots and was usually good for one or two three’s a game. With his tall frame and long arms Jackson can get shots at almost any time, but unlike most players he only takes them within the flow of the offense.

Best Motor: Kevon Looney, Leron Black

Two of the highest rated players in the camp were also the most competitive. Looney and Black dominated the boards, played tough defense, dunked down low, and even hit three’s on occasion. Both players started out with an intensity that was hard to match which resulted in an 11 point, 11 rebound performance for Looney and a 20 point, 9 rebound performance for Black. Both players attacked the defense and kept the pressure on the opposing team every time they stepped on the court.

Strongest Wing: Brandone Francis

Francis was the most powerful perimeter player and used his strength to bully defenders down low any time he crashed the boards or received a pass down low. Some defenders backed off Francis when he got the ball on the perimeter and he made them pay by hitting deep jump shots or three’s on occasion. His play in camp earned him offers from the Boston College Eagles, Providence Friars, Washington Huskies, and USC Trojans immediately after camp.

High Riser: Derrick Jones

If you heard a commotion breakout in JPJ during the camp, there was a good chance that Derrick Jones had just thrown down a ridiculous dunk. Standing at 6’7” with long arms, the sinewy junior could rise up like no one else. Tip dunks, fast-break dunks, power dunks, and alley-oops were common throughout the seven games that Jones played in. While Jones showed off his leaping ability any chance he got, he also displayed improved handles and outside shot during the three day stretch. While Jones is a hot name on the east coast his stock will continue to rise during July as more coaches get to watch this high-flying athlete.

Biggest Paint Presence: Cheick Diallo

Diallo earned the camp’s MVP based on his offensive and defensive paint presence while playing an integral part on a championship team. Diallo averaged 11 points and almost 8 rebounds throughout the camp. On the defensive side Diallo snatched up missed shots and blocked shots with his quick timed jumps and on the offensive side he turned passes into assists with powerful dunks or short hook shots.

Smoothest Big Man: Stephen Zimmerman

Zimmerman had it working all camp long and showed off his wide variety of offensive skills. His preferred move was a lefty spin move out of the right post as he used his quickness to catch most of the big men guarding him off guard. Throughout his games, Zimmerman proved that he could score from the outside, bang down low on the inside, and execute the pick and roll. Despite being a year younger than most players and quite a few pounds lighter, Zimmerman had no qualms about playing physical and solidified a top spot in the 2015 rankings.

Most Tantalizing Prospect: Shaqquan Aaron

Aaron (Louisville Cardinals) is a high major talent, but in some ways still similar to the freshman that played significant minutes for Mater Dei in 2010-11. Standing at almost 6’8” with a lanky frame, Aaron has all the skills to dazzle yet never does so consistently. In Aaron’s first game of the camp he went scoreless while the next game he went for 13 on a mixture of deep three’s and drives to the basket. Aaron has the ball handling skills to play point and loves to isolate slower defenders at the top of the key. He has NBA range on his three but is a very streaky shooter. He might hit three in a row, or he might miss badly off the side of the rim. Aaron is a one of a kind talent that is just waiting for someone to help him fulfill his potential. Rick Pitino is hoping he can be that person.

Sneakiest Athlete: Tadric Jackson

Standing at 6’2” with broad shoulders, Jackson looks like a pure power player that probably plays below the rim. If anyone thinks this is the case, hopefully they won’t be standing under the rim when Jackson unleashes a two hand dunk. Playing in the auxiliary gym on Friday night Jackson caught the ball and threw down a two hand dunk off of one step. In his other games Jackson was flying above the rim on breaks for ferocious dunks. While Jackson does like to bully smaller guards, he can also get above the rim in a hurry.

Spring Stock Risers: Myles Turner, Devin Robinson

The top two stock risers throughout the spring were Myles Turner and Devin Robinson and both of these players substantiated their new found hype. Turner earned a spot on the all camp team as he averaged 12 points and 5 rebounds. He scored off hook shots and drop steps down low while also showing off his touch with jump shots all over the court. The lanky Robinson knocked in three’s from the wings and was the recipient of many Tyler Ulis passes early on in the camp. He had his best game against a future Tar Heel in Theo Pinson and future Georgetown Hoya in Isaac Copeland. Both players proved that their strong springs were not a result of weak competition and will be hearing from a lot more college coaches after camp.